


One Man's Trash Is A Woman's Treasure

by hetawholockvengerstuck



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Genre: F/M, Mericcup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 04:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/781720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hetawholockvengerstuck/pseuds/hetawholockvengerstuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter what Hiccup does, he's useless. The trash of the village. He might as well be thrown out with the sheep dung. </p>
<p>But as the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. And Hiccup's about to find that out for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Man's Trash Is A Woman's Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Made for Day 1 of Merricup Week!
> 
> In this fic, Berk and Merida's kingdom share a border...or something like that.

No matter what he did, Hiccup was useless. Worse than useless, actually. He was garbage. He couldn't fight dragons or lift weights or kill his enemies. He was the complete opposite of everything a viking was supposed to be, and no one ever let him forget it.

_"You can't even throw one of these!"_

_"Is this a joke to you?"_

_"Every time you step outside..."_

Yes, garbage was a good word. Because that's what Hiccup felt like.

He kicked at the tall grass as he walked through the heath. It was a beautiful day, but for all Hiccup cared, it could be stormy and gray. Once again, he'd had to take refuge in nature to escape the jeers and insults of his neighbors. 

Hiccup had no future as a viking: no wife, no honor, no nothing. No one would ever be interested in a failure.

///////

From behind a tree, Merida watched the boy. She'd seen him before, many times, sitting alone in the woods. Sometimes he was sketching or whittling at something; other times he was talking to himself. Most times he just sat on a rock, watching the river, saying nothing. He was peaceful, and she loved to watch him. Somehow, though, she could never get up the courage to talk to him.

He seemed sad now, moreso than usual. It tugged at Merida's heartstrings, and compelled her to sneak after him, careful not to let him see her as they crossed the open grassland.

She didn't even know his name.

///////

Hiccup took his regular seat on a large mossy stone by the river. Today there were fish in it, and he watched them leaping upstream. He contemplated catching a few to bring home for  dinner, but thought better of it.  _I'll probably just fall in and make a mess,_ he thought.  _Like I always do._

He picked up a long stick and began to scratch a fish into the dirt. Just as quickly, he scratched it out, frustrated. 

///////

Merida once again took refuge behind a tree as the boy flung the stick into the river. She couldn't understand why he'd brushed away the drawing; from where she stood, the fish had looked perfect. 

Then the boy began yelling.

"Why can't I do  _anything_ right? Why do I always,  _always_ screw everything up!" He kicked at the rock and clutched his toes in agony, but he kept yelling at himself. "I can't get a date, I can't make friends, my own dad can't bear the sight of me! Why do I even bother?" He sat down with his back against the rock. "Why do I even hang around? Maybe the world would be better off without me."

Merida's heart was aching now. She wanted to say something, but before she could think what, the boy was on the move again, following the river.

She had no choice but to follow.

///////

Hiccup walked until he found a place where the river was deep. He stood on the edge for a bit, staring down into the depths, as if he could see all the way to the bottom and find something hidden there. Before he could change his mind, he closed his eyes, raised his arms, and fell in.

The water rushed into his ears and up his nose. He felt himself pushed around by the current. Before he could move, there was a loud splash, and something large swept past him. He was pushed to the surface.

When he got there, he realized that whatever it was had not followed him. He waited for a while, and when nothing happened, he held his breath and dove back under.

There was a person, a girl, it seemed, struggling to free her dress from a log. Hiccup could tell her oxygen was running out by the weakening attempts to rip the dress. He swam down and unhooked her just as her arms were falling to her side.

///////

Merida coughed up water the minute she got her head above the river. The boy dragged her towards the shore, helped her climb out, and collapsed next to her, his feet still in the water. 

"What...were you...thinking?" he gasped, trying to get air.

Merida was equally as winded, if not more. "You...you can't...just throw...your...life away."

He looked at her, puzzled. "What?"

"I heard you...back in the forest..." Merida gulped. "You said...the world would be better off without you."

The boy's eyes widened. "You heard me?"

"I thought you were...trying...to rid the world...of yourself."

"No! That's not..." The boy rubbed his eyes. "I come here at night sometimes and just sort of float. I always enter the water that way. It's calming." He glanced sideways at her. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." 

The boy smiled at her. "I'm Hiccup. Go ahead, laugh at it."

But Merida didn't laugh. "I'm Merida."

"Merida. I like it." The way Hiccup said her name gave Merida chills. She hoped he wouldn't notice, but he did. He pulled her closer, presumably to keep her warm. It worked, but it also brought a blush to Merida's cheeks.

"May I just ask...why did you want to save me? I'm not important."

"Well, you're not garbage, either."

"My village probably thinks I am."

"Then they're all wrong."


End file.
